Student Handbook

East Iredell Elementary School

STUDENT HANDBOOK

COBRA PRIDE

400 East Elementary Road

Statesville, NC 28625

Phone: 704-872-9541

Fax: 704-872-1085

EIES Website: http://eastelementary.issnc.org

EIES Facebook: East Iredell Elementary School

** Student Hours: 7:30-2:20**

Mrs. Angel Oliphant - Principal

Mr. Michael Culbreth - Assistant Principal(AP)

Mrs. Kristie Love – Assistant Principal (AP)

Mrs. Angela Burgess – Instructional Facilitator (IF)

Mrs. Shannon Church-MTSS Coordinator

_{Cobra Mission}

Learn Lead Love Serve

Cobra Families,

We are honored that you have chosen our school to enroll your child! We realize every parent has a choice where their child will attend school. We take our role very seriously and look forward to working with you to ensure he/she has the best education one can offer. You are now part of our extended family including approximately 90 staff members, 900 children, as well as all of the parents/guardians. It is a LARGE family we take pride in being part of this journey!

This journey will feel like a roller coaster with ups and downs along the way. We take pride in the hills, yet work through the dips. We value your thoughts and input along the way. We try to be as transparent as possible and explain the reasons for decisions and processes with you as a part of our family. Open communication is essential for the success of our children and school. We welcome you to be involved in school decisions, conferences, school parent teams, etc. We love having all hands on deck!

As we travel through this journey together, we would like to offer two words to ponder…. DON’T BLINK… time does not stand still and you cannot go back in time. Elementary school will be over before you know it and your baby will be grown! Savor every minute!

Who’s Who?

Bookkeeper ………… Mrs. Colleen Marlow Guidance Counselor …… Ms. Amanda Peters

Guidance Counselor …… Jessica Orr Data Manager …............Miss Wendy Escobar

Child Nutrition Manager….. Kimberly Taylor Receptionist ………………Mrs. SarahWilkinson

ATTENDANCE

Regular attendance and punctuality are important from the beginning of the year until the last day. Frequent absences interfere with your child’s progress toward meeting minimum standards for promotion

IMPORTANT: When your child is absent, please call the school office and give the reason on the first day of the absence. We will call if your child is out and you have not notified the office. Send a written excuse stating the exact reason for the absence or tardiness upon your child's return to school. Three unlawful absences denotes an attendance letter.

ATTENDANCE POLICY IMPLEMENTED BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION:

● Students are limited to a combined total of 10 lawful (excused) or unlawful (unexcused) absences during the school year.

● 10 early dismissals/tardies = 1 absence.

● After 10 absences, the student's promotion to the next level is at risk.

● All assignments missed during any absence must be made up within the time set by the teacher.

● Non-school sponsored trips will be considered and coded as unlawful (unexcused).

Please visit the following website for full details of the Iredell-Statesville Schools Attendance Policy

www.iss.k12.nc.us/attendance.html

BAD WEATHER: SNOW DAYS

Students should know the procedure to follow if school closes because of bad weather. It is not possible for over 800 students to use the office phone. Make sure that your plan is clearly written and handed into the office at the beginning of the year. Go over the plan with your children so they will know what to expect. If changes in the plan occur, please notify the office staff or your child’s teacher in writing.

Delays – When we have a school delay, we will not serve breakfast at school.

Where to go for news of school closings for weather:

Television

WBTV - 3, WSOC - 9, WCNC - 6, WXII - 12

RADIO

WFMX-I05.7AM, WSIC - 1400AM, WKBC- 800AM WFMX - 105.7FM, WSOC - lO3FM, WL YT - 102.9FM WKKY - 96.9FM, WFAE - 90.7FM

INTERNET

www.iss.kI2.nc.us OR www.cancellations.com

SCHOOL CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW:

1. A decision on whether to close schools will be made by 6 a.m.

2. If it looks as if roads will clear after early morning, schools may open one or two hours late. On delays, breakfast will NOT be served.

3. If schools are closed for the day, Prime Time is closed. If schools open late, Prime Time will operate as usual.

4. A district wide connect ed telephone message will be sent to all parents and staff before 6:00 am. It will also be posted on twitter and Facebook.

If it starts snowing during the day:

1. An announcement will be broadcast as soon as a decision to close is made.

2. If schools close early because of snow, bus riders will be brought home as usual. Parents of car riders should pick up their children immediately.

3. Day care centers will not be open if schools close early.

BUS REGULATIONS

Riding the bus is a privilege based on appropriate behavior. Failure to follow rules may lead to a loss of this privilege.

Safety rules for passengers:

● Obey the driver in all instances.

● Stay in seat until the bus stops.

● Keep aisles clear.

● Do not stand in front of the vertical bars.

● Be at bus stop on time.

● Keep voice soft on the bus.

● Do not tease or fight on the bus.

● Do not throw anything.

● Do not do anything which might distract the driver

● Do not put hands or other objects out the window

● Stay in assigned seat at all times

BUS SAFETY PROCEDURES

Waiting

● Wait quietly; do not play in the road.

● As the bus approaches, stand back from the road; give the bus driver room to stop. (The bus must stop fifteen (15) feet from where students are standing.)

● Any incident that happens at the bus stop will be dealt with the same as if it happened on the bus.

Boarding

If a student must cross the road, he/she should: wait until the bus driver stops and opens the door, check traffic in both directions, and walk in front of the bus.

. Form a single line and don't crowd or push.

. Use the handrail and take the steps one at a time.

. Go directly to your assigned seat.

● Parents are not allowed to board a school bus. If you have a bus issue, please contact the principal.

Leaving

● Stay seated until the bus stops.

● Don't push or shove, but move quickly.

● Exit by the front door only.

● Use the handrail and take the steps one at a time.

● If you do not have to cross the road, walk immediately away from the bus.

● If you must cross the road, walk far enough in front of the bus to see the driver. Stop when you are even with the traffic side of the bus and look carefully in both directions. Cross the road quickly but do not run. Help smaller children to cross the road safely. Never stop in front of the bus. If you drop something, get the driver's attention before you try to pick it up.

All transportation changes must be received in writing from a parent or guardian. Please include contact telephone numbers.

CAFETERIA REGULATIONS

Feeding nearly 900 students requires cooperation from everyone.

We expect students to eat in a pleasant, quiet manner. Students should move quietly through the serving line, being careful to have money and lunch number ready for the cashier. Students will sit as directed by their teacher.

East Elementary provides a breakfast program at a nominal charge for all interested students. It is not free unless your child qualifies for free lunch. Students who wish to eat breakfast must report directly to the upper level of the cafeteria upon arrival to school.

After completing breakfast, students go directly to their class. Breakfast is not available after 8:30 a.m. Students who come to school by car need to arrive by 7:20 in order to eat breakfast.

Each student should purchase the school lunch or bring his/her lunch from home. You should select all items you wish to buy during the first visit through the serving line. Supplemental items (cookies, etc.) may be purchased. Students are not to purchase items from each other or have students buy items for them in the line. Students will sit as directed by their teacher. Do not bring glass bottled drinks to school. No soft drinks please.

You are welcome to visit our school and eat lunch with your child. We do ask that if you bring in outside food, you eat at alternate tables if available. Please do not invite other children to eat with you to avoid conflicts.

Students who forget their lunch money may charge twice within a nine-week period. The cashier in the cafeterias will handle charges made for lunch.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS AND/OR TELEPHONE NUMBER

It is important that the school maintains a current address and telephone number for each child for use in an emergency. Also, it is important to know when the working address and telephone number changes for parents or guardians. Notify the school immediately of any change so your child's emergency information card can be updated.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS

● East takes pride in utilizing two great frameworks to help students be successful: Positive Behavior Support and Covey’s 7 Habits. A school-wide behavior expectations matrix is posted throughout the building. We also encourage all visitors to please follow these expectations while you visit. (See Matrix

● We will model and teach the expectations throughout the year. Each class earns Cobras for following the expectations There are rewards given for the number of points earned.

Leader in Me

This program is based on The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Through the implementation of the seven habits students learn how to treat other people and apply these habits to their everyday lives.

7 Habits

1. Be Proactive

2. Begin with the End in Mind

3. Put First Things First

4. Think Win-Win

5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be

Understood

6. Synergize

7. Sharpen the Saw

Furthermore, the ISS School Board enforces a district wide ANTI- BULLYING POLICY

● We will explain and define what bullying is, what consequences will occur, and what steps each child can take to stop the problem. (see back of handbook for additional reference)

● We will send home more information about the policy and our processes during the school year.

● Call 704-872-9542 with any questions.

DRESS CODE

Our uniform policy has been very successful.

East EIementary School Uniform will be as follows:

Tops: Colors are forest (dark) green, navy blue, red and white. Shirts must be a solid color, with sleeves. Collared, round neck, turtleneck, oxford, polos, school t-shirts are permitted. Underwear type t-shirts or team uniform shirts are not allowed. The shirt must be free of any brand names, logos, or symbols. Sweaters, fleece jackets, sweater vests, lightweight jackets, and sweatshirts may be worn. All outerwear worn during school must be of a solid uniform color (navy, red, white, or forest green). Special shirts such as East sports teams, field day, etc. may only be worn on Friday.

Bottoms: The colors are khaki or navy blue for the bottoms. Pants, shorts, skorts, skirts, and jumpers will be of uniform style. No baggie pants, nylon, or other sports material is acceptable. An elastic waistband is acceptable. All pants must be worn at the waist. Girl Capri pants are acceptable if they meet the above guidelines. The bottoms must also be free of any brand names, logos, or symbols. Skorts, dresses, jumpers, and skirts must be at or below fingertip length. Shorts must be worn at or below fingertip length for both males and females.

Tights, socks, shoes of any color may be worn as long as they are school appropriate. Shoes with wheels are not permitted. Tennis shoes are highly recommended for PE days. NO HATS or hoods worn in the building (not even on belt loops).

DISMISSAL

In order to be sure that all students arrive home safely it is important that we have procedures to follow when dismissing a student. Any changes to afternoon dismissal (bus, care, YMCA, etc.) MUST BE IN WRITING. No CHANGES WILL BE MADE OVER THE PHONE. This is to avoid safety issues.

Doors will be locked from 2:00-2:20 to allow staff to safely move 900 students to dismissal areas and ensure they follow the correct transportation / dismissal plans for each child.

ENTERING SCHOOL BUILDING AFTER

SCHOOL HOURS

NO student may re-enter buildings after school hours unless accompanied by an adult for the purpose of conducting school related business

FIELD TRIPS

Each grade may take up to two field trips during the school year. Proper behavior is a requirement on all field trips. All school policies and procedures will remain in full force. Students who have excessive discipline referrals may not participate with the class on a field trip unless a parent agrees to accompany the student.

Field trips must be aligned with grade level objectives. No refunds will be made for field trips.

FIRE & TORNADO DRILLS

The school will hold a fire drill each month to practice actions needed should there be a real fire. It is absolutely essential that no talking take place during the fire drill except as directed by the teacher. Students should walk quickly to the designated area and listen for directions from each teacher or the principal.

At least once during the year, the school will hold a tornado drill. Also, the school will hold periodic "lockdown" drills for emergency situations.
K-2 Report Card Codes:

Add blurb about SBG

GRADES 3-5 Report Card Codes:

A = Excellent (90-100) B = Very Good (80-89)

C = Satisfactory (70-79) D = Some Progress (60-69)

E = Unsatisfactory Progress (Below 60)

LEAVE AT HOME

1. Cell phones, ipods, MP3 players, radios

and any other electronic devices.

2. Chewing gum.

3. Radios, electronic devices, sharp-pointed objects.

4. Fidget Spinners! Toys and other personal belongings except on the invitation of your child's teacher.

5. Trading Cards...Pokemon, Yugio, etc.

6. Shoes with roller blade style wheels.

If these items are brought to school, we are not responsible for loss or theft. Items will be turned in to the office and a parent or guardian must pick them up in the office.

LOST AND FOUND

Turn in all lost and found items to the office. Parents should clearly mark coats, sweaters, and gloves, as well as lunch boxes, notebooks, and personal belongings.

MEDICATIONS

Ideally, parents should give all medications at home. However, some pupils need medication either periodically or on a regular schedule. Parents should complete a request form for needed medication at the school which must be signed by the child's physician.

Medication must be in a container labeled by the pharmacy giving the name of the drug, dosage, name of the doctor, and the time interval between dosages. Non-prescription medications such as Tylenol cannot be given at school.

Medication, either prescription or non- prescription, cannot be sent on the bus to school.

MONEY

No student should ever carry more than a minimal amount of money or bring articles of value to school. The opportunity for loss or theft is too high. While the school does all it can to eliminate theft, it will not be responsible for losses.

MONEY COLLECTED

The teacher will receipt the student for all money received such as damage fees, admission to programs, etc. All money sent to school should be in an envelope with the student's name teacher's name, and the purpose of the money marked on the outside.

PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE

Our staff encourages parents to establish conferences concerning student progress and behavior. Our teachers will be glad to meet with parents at scheduled times. Contact your child's teacher to arrange conferences. The principal reserves the right to attend any and all conferences. Any concerns with staff MUST be addressed with the teacher first. Do not call the principal to talk about a teacher concern unless you have addressed it with the teacher. If this does not resolve the issue, the principals will hold a meeting with the parent and teacher to discuss concerns together.

PARKING LOT

If you are parking to visit, please park in unused spaces in the main parking lot. If you are picking up a car rider in the afternoon, please do not park, but follow the flow of traffic for your child to be placed in the car by staff on duty. At no time should cars enter the main area of the bus lot. If there are no parking spaces available, please park beside the gym.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

All students are to participate in physical education classes. Students may not sit out to watch except in cases of injury or serious medical reasons with a doctor’s note.

SCHOOL DAY

Begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 2:20 p.m.

Early arrivals: No students should be on campus before 7:00 a.m.

At 7:00, students that wish to eat breakfast may enter the cafeteria. Students not eating breakfast will go directly to their classroom. The tardy bell will ring at 7:30.

Early Dismissal

Parents should come to the office and sign the student out. The office staff will then call the student to the office. Only the parent or a designated person approved by the parent may pick up children. PARENTS WHO HAVE CUSTODY OF THEIR CHILDREN SHOULD FILE A COPY OF THE CUSTODY PAPERS IN THE SCHOOL OFFICE. We will release students only to parents unless prior arrangements have been made with the office. This care is vital to insure that a child is never picked up by the wrong person.

SCHOOL PARTIES

Teachers and/or room parents will plan the events based on the master schedule to prevent loss of 1000 instructional hours required by NC. Please prearrange any personal student celebrations with your child’s teacher.

Only STORE PURCHASED, PRE-MADE foods may be shared at school and given out at the end of lunch as dessert. Homemade foods are not allowed to be shared for celebrations due to numerous student allergies.

Please do not send balloons or flowers to your child at school due to safety issues and unintentional distractions.

East PTO

We encourage parents to join the East Parent- Teacher Association by contributing your time and talents to help improve the school. Meetings will be announced via paper calendars, FB and Twitter

TARDlES

It is very important for your child to learn the importance of being on time. Tardy students disrupt academic instruction in the classroom. A student arriving after the tardy bell must report to the office before going to class. Instruction begins at 7:30 a.m.

Please refer to the ISS Attendance Policy. (10 tardies count as one absence.) Students with excessive absences will be required to attend comparable after school make up time.

LIBRARY BOOKS/ TEXTBOOKS

Teachers issue textbooks the first day of school. It is essential that students take care of their books. The school will charge damage fees and lost book fees at the end of the school year, We hold report cards at the end of the year until all fees are paid.

VISITORS ON CAMPUS

We welcome visitors at East Iredell Elementary. We also love our students and require all visitors to report to the office upon arrival at school to pick up a visitor identification sticker and sign in. Please be patient when asked to wait in the office to abide by the student schedule in order to protect instructional time.

VOLUNTEERS

East Iredell loves volunteers! We ask parents, grandparents and family members alike who would like to share special talents, hobbies, or vocational skills to volunteer your time to help enrich the lives of our children. Please contact the office or your child’s teacher if you are willing to share your time with students. If you are volunteering in the classrooms, we ask that you please not bring younger children during instructional times. Our students cannot focus or concentrate with outside distractions. We find they want to play or help the younger guests. Administration must pre-approve special situations volunteers may have.

WALKERS

For safety purposes all walkers are to use the crosswalk at the end of the walkway between the parking lots.

No Car Riders Dropped Off in the Bus Area

Due to the large volume of car rider traffic, leadership opens the bus lot during specific times between 7:15 and 7:30, once all buses are unloaded and before the IB Satellite bus arrives. The bus lot is ONLY to be used for car rider drop off in the a.m. when the sign says, “Bus Lot Open”. If you have other adults bringing your child for drop off, please make them aware of our safety requirements. Car riders are only to be dropped off in the loading area or walked from the far lot by the mobile units. Please do not park in the front parking lot and walk your child across traffic. This is a safety hazard as we have witnessed children dart across in front of traffic.

Security System/Locked Doors

East Elementary locks our front entrance daily at 7:45. All guests press a button at the front door and stand in front of the camera for our staff to monitor who enters the building more closely.

Student Assignments

We are fortunate to have an excellent team of teachers at East Elementary. I am confident that whatever classroom your child has been placed, he or she will encounter a warm and well prepared teacher who is committed to student learning, to student success, and to your child.

The process used to assign students is a comprehensive one. As a staff, we take the responsibility of class placement very seriously. Beginning in the spring, and continuing through the summer, many factors are considered in the process of placing every child. This includes adjustments necessary in the summer to incorporate new students. Such factors include:

● The program needs of the student

● A balance of achievement levels in reading and math

● The social needs of students and their leadership skills

● Independent work habits of students

● Behavior factors regarding students

● The compatibility of students with each other (ie. separating those who have not worked well together in the past)

● Information provided by the teacher through previous parent/teacher conferences

● Classroom configuration

● The ratio of girls to boys

In late July, the District staff and principal review staffing based on increased/decreased enrollment. If significant enrollment changes emerge, then we would need to make building changes in class sections. However, with the exemption of such enrollment issues, because classroom placements have been so carefully determined with such a wide range of factors taken into account, parental concerns and requests for changes in classroom placement must follow a CLEAR PROCESS and are considered very carefully. (see next page)

EAST ELEMENTARY

CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENT CHANGE REQUEST PROCESS

1. First two weeks of school

No changes considered until the 3^rd week of school. Class rosters and student assignments remain.

2. After “two” weeks

Arrange to meet with the teacher.

If serious concerns still remain after this period of time, the parent is invited to schedule a meeting directly with the classroom teacher to identify concerns and work together to resolve the issues. (i.e., create timeline, intervention plan; document discussion notes/date)

3. Following formal Teacher/Parent meeting

Review of assignment form. If it appears a change is still desired at this point, the parent should complete a Review of Assignment Form. (Request form from Teacher).

4. Principal receives request

The principal reviews the form and contacts parents and teacher to set up a course of action in which any or all of the following may take place: class observations of the student by school staff, parents and teachers continue to communicate and may meet with the principal and teacher together, student may be involved at this point, other teachers may be consulted to determine if concerns are isolated or trends.

5. Decision made by Principal

After looking into the situation and consulting with everyone involved, the principal determines if and when a placement change may be made. The principal will then notify all parties of the status of the request.

Is it Bullying? Or not?

Teasing/Picking

● Everyone is having fun

● No one is getting hurt

● Everyone is participating equally

Conflict

● No one is having fun

● Possible solution to the disagreement

● Equal balance of power

Mean Moment

● Someone is being hurt on purpose

● Reaction to a strong feeling or emotion

● Isolated event (not repetitive)

Bullying

● Attacked physically, socially and/or emotionally

● Unequal balance of power

● Happens more than once (repeated)

● Someone being hurt on purpose

Homework at East

The purpose of homework at the elementary school level is only for: review, unfinished work or practice.

Research is proving homework in elementary school tends to widen the subgroup gap. Many children at this age are unable to do the work independently and do not control the evening schedule at home. For this reason and many more, homework is rarely assigned for our children beyond daily reading for 20 minutes. They work hard the entire day and we focus on the time we have control of them (circle of control). However, we do not control what happens outside of school and prefer they spend time being children- sharpening the saw!

When we assign homework, it is NO more than

Reading – 20 minutes (this includes vocab, writing) or if a child has gaps and a parent requests resources to help them at home.

No adult likes to leave their job, then turn around to go home, only to start doing the same job again. Our children are very young and will burn out quickly. We want to make them love learning rather than feel like it is a punishment.

Projects should be integrated into classwork rotations/time during the instructional day. Exceptions include optional projects such as Science Fair, Math Expo, etc.

Homework assignments DO NOT receive grades since we don’t control it…and have no idea who did the work.

IMPORTANT ONLINE LINKS TO STAY INFORMED

STUDENT ABSENCE EXCUSE:

https://www.iss.k12.nc.us/cms/module/selectsurvey/TakeSurvey.aspx?PageNumber=1&SurveyID=544

SCHOOL WEBPAGE:

http://eastelementary.issnc.org

TWITTER: @EastIredellES

EIES FACEBOOK: @EastIredellElementary School

Be sure to sign up for Remind 101 @G92KEF

Make sure we have updated phone numbers for Connect Ed event reminders!